Platform: PC

Developer: Behaviour Digital Inc.

Publisher: Starbreeze Studios

Release Date: June 14th, 2016

Genre: Survival Horror

Nerd Rating: 8 out of 10!

Today (June 14th) marks the release of Dead by Daylight, a 1 vs 4 survival horror game developed by Behavior Digital Inc and published by Starbreeze Studios. The developer and publisher were kind enough to supply us here at Nerd Bacon with review codes, giving us ample time to get to know the game so we could have this review up for you on release day. (Please note: The Dead by Daylight team did not request this be released on release day. That was my own initiative.)

As stated earlier, Dead by Daylight is a survival horror game that pits one horror film themed serial killer against four defenseless citizens. The goal of the game is for the citizens to start up four generators and escape the area before being brutally murdered by the serial killer. The serial killer’s goal then, of course, is to murder the citizens before they can escape. While these citizens do not have access to weapons or any other way to physically disable the serial killer, they do have a few tricks up their sleeves to slow him down. These tricks include (but are not limited to) a flashlight to force the killer to drop whatever he is carrying, as well as a toolbox that will disable the serial killer’s hooks, bear traps, and will even speed up turning on generators. The serial killer, on the other hand, is armed with bear traps, a machete-type weapon, and hooks placed around the map to hang the citizens on (which will eventually lead to them being taken away by some spider alien monster).

While there are different items available to the citizens and serial killer, they will not be available right away. Dead by Daylight utilizes a skill tree unlock system as well as a loadout system that you can access before each match. You generally will have quite a bit of time before each match to mess around with your loadout due to the game’s ‘ready’ system, where each player must press ready for the match to begin in five seconds. If each player does not press ready, the countdown to match start will still tick, but at a much slower rate.

Dead by Daylight is a horror game and a multiplayer game unlike any other that I have ever played. There wasn’t a second in the game that didn’t feel intense and genuinely scary, even when I was the killer (not knowing where the citizens are and if they are going to escape). The progression system was very limited (likely due to the game being in beta), and could benefit immensely from either having more levels or taking longer to unlock levels. Furthermore, the game was even entertaining when I wasn’t playing it. Dead by Daylight has amassed a huge Twitch.tv following, and the game is even intense and scary to watch!

The biggest downside and complaint that I have for Dead by Daylight is the insane amount of glitches and hackers. Of course, due to my testing of this game being before official release, I can’t blame the developers too much for this. One major issue that I noticed while playing with friends was that after each private match, when I attempted to join another one, I had to restart the game or else I would get stuck on the loading screen. I also believe the game needs an easier way to switch who the killer is in a private match, as right now, you are forced to create an entire new private lobby. I would also like an update to fix the current glitch that won’t let me access the game ever since I finished writing this review.

While the game could benefit immensely from bug fixes, more playable killers, more customization options, and more anti-hack protection, overall, the game is fantastic. Dead by Daylight is a horror experience like no other, and I simply can’t recommend it enough to anybody who enjoys horror, survival, or just multiplayer games in general. Dead by Daylight puts you inside your favorite horror movies, and it does a damn good job at that. The only thing that could even possibly make this game more intense is virtual reality support.

Written by Nerd Bacon